Hayes ready for long-awaited journey home

Page Tools

Champion trainer David Hayes is set to return to Australia after
a highly successful stint in Hong Kong.

The South China Morning Post reported yesterday Hayes was
in his final season in Hong Kong.

Hayes controls the family's powerful Lindsay Park training
operation, which is based in South Australia and has stables at
Flemington now run by head trainer Tony McEvoy.

McEvoy is convinced brilliant filly Langness will harm her Blue
Diamond Stakes prospects by competing at Caulfield today in a
prelude to the $1 million race.

The regally bred youngster was the centre of controversy when
debuting with a scintillating win last month at Caulfield. The race
was declared void after rival runners were found to have gained an
unfair advantage.

McEvoy had not intended starting Langness again until the Blue
Diamond, a fortnight from today, but needs to earn prizemoney to
gain a start in the group 1 race.

"There is no use crying over spilt milk," McEvoy said at
Canterbury yesterday. "We have to run her to make sure she gets in
[the Blue Diamond].

" She has trained on super, she is perfect for tomorrow, but I
will still say, knowing the filly as well as a I do, running
tomorrow isn't going to help her win the Blue Diamond, it is only
going to help get her in it."

Langness is due to clash with Lee Freedman's boom youngster
Queen Of The Hill today.

"I can't gamble with her [Langness]," McEvoy said. "They are
saying they [the Melbourne Racing Club] might use their discretion
to put her in the Blue Diamond but I've got to give her her best
chance to get in the race. What if I get to acceptance time and
they have a full field and they say, 'Oh no, we are not going to
put you in'."

McEvoy was at Canterbury yesterday to watch the impeccably bred
Crevette finish a luckless fourth in the opening race.

"She was dragged out of the race," McEvoy said. "She lost three
or four lengths, take that away, she may not have beat the winner
[Carry On Cutie], but she runs second."

McEvoy confirmed imported stayer Hugs Dancer would run in next
Saturday's group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes at Warwick Farm, with
Corey Brown booked to ride.

"The Sydney Cup is the race for him," he said. "He'll run in the
Chipping Norton, the Ranvet, The BMW and then the Sydney Cup."

FALL GUY: Glen Boss, who had spent much of the past 48
hours having a complete body check-up, wasted little time in giving
his troublesome back and buttocks a work-out at Canterbury
yesterday.

Boss was dumped from Frescante in the second race when it went
down on its nose on jumping, but the jockey bounced to his feet and
declared: "I didn't need that."

Boss was back in action on Frescante's stablemate Altomic in the
next race, with the gelding finishing a close second to Daylight
Diamond.

McEVOY SHINES: Australia's international jockey Kerrin
McEvoy rode the Godolphin-trained Qais to a commanding five-length
victory at his first ride back in Dubai on Thursday. McEvoy is
retained by Godolphin as the No.2 rider behind the world-renowned
Frankie Dettori.